Rail-curving machine



4 Sheets--SheetA l. BHO. WEIR 8v E. W. H ARDEN.

(No Model.)

RAIL GURV'ING MAGHINE.

Patented Mar. 28, 189,3.

moro-uma., wAsmN (No Model.) A 4 sheets-sheet 2. .,F. C. WEIR & E.v W.HARDENr RAIL GURVING MACHINE No. 494,450. Patented Mar. 28, 189s.

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F. C. WEIR 81; E. W. HRDIHN.A

RAIL GURVING MACHINE.

Patented Mar. Z8, 1893.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

F. C. WEIR & E. W. HARDEN.

RAIL GUBVING MACHINE.

No. 494,450. Y Patented Mar. 28, 1893.

N 4,' '53 MTI nl! ,f L l mg e el f i un 4 'NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERIC C. WEIR AND EDWARD W. HARDEN, 0F CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TOTHE WEIR FROG COMPANY, OF OHIO.

. RAIL-CURVING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,450, dated March28, 1893.

Application filed September 12, 1892. Serial No. 445.675. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FREDERIC C. WEIE and EDWARD W. HAEDEN, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton andState of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 'inRail-Curving Machines, of which the following is a specification.

One of the objects of our invention is to provide means for curvingrailway rails, beams, or other bars, to any desired curve or angle.

Another object of our invention is to provide means for putting pressureupon the top or bottom side of the rail or beam as occasion requires toprevent cambering in curving, or to take out a camber from the curvedwork. The machine is constructed so that the operator may apply thestrains in various directions at will.

The various features of our invention are fully set forth in thedescription of the accompanying drawings making a part of thisspecification, in which- Figure l is a top plan view of our improvement.Fig. 2 is afront elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a right side elevationof the machine. Fig. ft is a section on line 06,90, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is asection on line y, y, Fig. l. Fig. 6 a left hand side elevation. Fig. 7is a diagram representing the mode of operation.

A represents the supporting posts. B the bed plate or frame.

l represents the main driving shaft. 2 represents the driving pulleykeyed thereon. 3, 4, loose pulleys. Two driving belts are employed andthey are controlled by the shifters 5, 6, so that when shifter 5 and itsbelt is moved over the driving pulley 2 the main shaft is driven in onedirection, and when the shifter 6 with its belt is moved on the drivingpulley the machine is run in the reverse direction. i

The bending devices are formed of three pairs of rolls, C C', D D and EE; and the faces of these rolls are turned with the desiredconfigurations to grasp appropriately the head, the web, and flange ofthe rails upon eitherside by each pair of rolls. Fig. 2 shows one formof rolls adapted to bending, say the ordinary railway rail. The groove agrasps the head of the rail; the swellsb grasp the web of the rail, andthe groove c grasps the flange of the rail, and the collars d, e, bearuponv the top and bottom and hold the head and flange respectively. Thecurving is accomplished by moving the axis of the inner rolls out ofline with the axis of the two outer, which are stationary and driven bypower.

The following are the instrumentalities for conveying motion to thedriving rolls, C C and E E: 7 represents a spur `gear on the shaft l,driving the gearSon shaft 9. 10 represents a transmitting gear on shaft9, meshing and drivinggear Wheels l1 and 12, mounted on shafts 13 andlet.v These shafts transmit power by means ofthe bevel gears 15, 16,respectively, to the rollers C and E, and the opposite rollers of saidpairs C and E are driven by meansv of transmitting gear r r keyed to thebottom end of said rollers. The outside pairs of rolls C, E, aresupported in stationary journals, and therefore, revolve in fixedplanes. The inside rolls are movable in two directions; first, in ahorizontal plane to adjust their axes out of or in line with the axis ofthe outside pairs of rollers; and second, in the line of their own axes.As shown in the drawings these rolls are supported vertically in theframe and movable in a vertical direction either up or down to cause agreater or less bearing either upon the head or flange of the rolls, toprevent cambering, or to takeout cambering, as required. These motionsare secured in the following manner:

18 represents a driving pulley mounted upon shaft 19. 2O represents aspur gear mounted on said shaft driving gear 2l, mount- ,.ed on shaft22.

23 represents a clutch for locking bevel gear 26 to said shaft 22, and24 clutch for locking bevel gear 29 to shaft 22.

29 is a bevel gear for driving bevel gear 27 in opposite direction tothat of bevel gear 26. .When the clutches are in position shown in Fig.1 neither of the bevel gears 26 or 29,are

in engagement with shaft 22, andfshaft 28 is not driven. 25 represents aWorm on said shaft 28 meshing with worm gear 30 on shaft 31, see Fig. 5.

32 represents a screw on shaft 31 engaging IOO with the nut 33 on themovable journal boX frame 35; said journal frame 35 carries the journalsfor supporting the shafts 36, 37, of the rolls D D so that said rollsand their journals may be moved laterally in or out to align their axisto or from the axis of the outside pair of rolls C C and E E'. The saidroller shafts 3G, 37 are supported in screw sleeve journals 39, 40.

4l, 42 represent worm wheel nuts engaging the screw sleeves 39, 40, uponthe inside, journaling in the frame 35, and being rotated upon theirjournals by means of Worms 57, 5S, and the worm wheels 4l, 42, cut uponthe outer faces of said nuts which are driven to raise or lower therolls D D, mounted on the shafts 3G, 37. Motion is transmitted fromshaft 22 by means of bevel gears 43, 44, to shaft 45; on said shaft 45are mounted bevel gears 46, 47, which normally run as idlers.

4S, 49, represent clutches which are operated by means of thereciprocating rod 50 connected thereto by shackles 51, 52.

53, Fig. 2, represents a shaft. 54 a crank hinged to the reciprocatingrod 50, and 55 a hand lever rocking said shaft 53 to bring clutches 43,49, alternately into engagement with the bevel gears 4G, 47, or todisengage both of said clutches, as occasion requires.

5G represents the shaft on which bevel gear 40 is keyed; 57, 58,represent worm gears on said shaft 56, engaging with the worm wheels 4l,42, so that when motion is transmitted to drive shaft 5G the shafts 36,37, are"either raised or lowered according to the direction in which themotion is given.

Mode of operation: When the machine is to be driven forward for bendinga rail the rolls D D are moved to bring their axes out of line, see Fig.7. The line Z, mnt, will constitute the curve to which the rails arebent when the axis of the rollers D D are moved to the point 0,29. Thismovement of the rolls D D is accomplished by throwing in either theclutch 3G or 39, driving shaft 2S, worm 25, worm gear 30, screw 32,moving the journal box frame 35 and its contained roller shafts 36, 37,either out or in, as occasion requires. Vhen these rollers are adjustedto the desired position shaft 28 is turned out of gear, and motion isapplied to drive the rollers@` C and E E. The rail is presented torollers C C', and grasped by the inner bearing surface, the rail isdrivenl through said rollers, delivered to rollers D D', and thence, torollers E E. If in bending the rail the operator should observe that therail is liable to camber, either upward or downward, he applies motionto raise or lower the rollers D D by moving hand lever 55. The rollerswill be raised and lowered in accordance with the direction in which thehand lever 55 is moved; if it is'moved outward it brings into engagementclutch 49, and locks the bevel gear 47 to the shaft; bevel gear 4Grunning as an idler, and it will raise the rolls D D. If the lever movesinward it will engage clutch 4S and lock bevel gear 46 to the shaft, anddrive the bevel gear 40, and its shaft 56 in opposite direction, andlower the rollers. The worm gears 57,58, 39, 40, 4l, 42, are provided sothat a very slow motion, and hence power, is obtained and a very slightpressure either up or down, is sufficient to prevent cambering, and aslight vertical movement is only required for this purpose. Thisvertical movement may be accomplished in either direction where therolls C C and E E are being driven, to force the rail through betweensaid three pair of rollers. So, likewise, if the operator discovers thatthe rail is being bent too much, or too little, he will, while therollers are in motion, increase or decrease the curve by operating handlever F to engage either clutch 23 or 24, to drive the worm 25 in thedesired direction, and move said rollers D D out or in. By means of theworm and screw gear here employed this lateral movement of the rollers DD is slow, as but. a very slight change will materiallyincrease ordecrease the curve; so, too, if theoperator desired to go back and benda rail more or less, he may reverse the direction of the driving rollersC C E E', by moving hand lever H, rocking shaft I, which is providedwith the crank K, moving connecting rod L, which operates the shifter J,and the shifter brackets 5, G, to bring either of the belts operated bysaid brackets under the driving pulley 2, according to the direction inwhich he wishes to drive the said two outside pair of rollers. In theconstruction herein shown it will be observed that the outside pair ofrollers grasp and drive the railway rails, and bend to a curve accordingto the alignment of the inner or curving roller D D. If the operatorwishes simply to remove cambers from a straight rail the rollers are allaligned as shown in Fig. l, but the inner rollers D D are adj ustedvertically to eX- ert pressure upward or downward upon that portion ofthe rail between the rollers C C', E E.

In curving bars,beams or rails, which have a greater amount of metal insome portions of their cross section than in others, the tendency to camber is great; and in steel rails and beams there is a difference in theelasticity of different rails or beams in the same lot, some will holdtheir curve or impression, while others will spring back more or less;varyin g with the quality of the metal; hence, it is very essential incurving rails or beams that the exact curve be maintained and it isnecessary to set the middle pair of rolls during the operation ofcurving. With the device herein shown this lateral movement can beiinparted while under operation; or, if an article to be curved as it ispassed through the rolls contains either too much or too little curve,the operator can readily adjust the middle curving rail to increase ordecrease the curve while running backward, as well as running forward.Ho, likewise, the camber may be taken out or the rails straightenedinthe same manner, as the central rolls may be moved IOC IIO

out or in while in the operation of c urving easier than when the rollsare stationary, but with the worm and screw gear herein shown thecentral rollers may be adjusted even when they are idle.

By the use of three pairs of rolls a material advantage is obtained; notonly can the rail be run backward or forward for curving and cambering,but the inner rolls form an abutment upon each side of the point wherethe bend is made and take out the spring because of the clamping betweentwo rolls at the curving point; hence, the three pairs of rolls are morepositive in their action tha the use of the single roll.

Having described our invention, whatwe claim is- 1. In a curving machinethe combination with driving rolls and curving rolls, of laterally andvertically movable journal boxes carrying said curving rolls, andmechanism for driving said driving rolls, substantially as described. j

2. In combination with the two outside pairs of driving rolls, theinside curving rolls, mounted in movable journal boxes, with reversedriving mechanism for moving said journal boxes laterally andvertically, and unshipping device for reversing motion, and throwingsaid laterally moving mechanism in and out of gear, substantially asspecified.

3. In combination with the twov outside pairs of driving rolls, theinside curving rolls D D', mounted in a vertically moving journal boxframe 35, the nut and screw gear applied to the shafts of said rolls,the worm wheels 4l, 42, `the worms 57, 58, mountedv on shaft 56, and thereversing clutches 48, 49, operated by the shipping lever 55, andconnecting mechanism, substantially as specifled. 4. In a curvingmachine the combination with driving rolls, of laterally and verticallymovable journal boxes, and rolls carried by said journal boxes andprovided with collars to bear upon `the top and bottom ofarticleoperated upon, and mechanism for driving said driving rolls,substantially as described.

5. In combination with the outside pairs of driving rolls C C E E',respectively intergeared, reversing driving and'shippin'g mechanism, theinside curving rolls D D', mounted in a journal box frame 35, supportedvertically and laterally by nut and screw mechanism, and worm mechanismfor driving either or both of said laterally or vertically supportingscrews by the power of the machine at the will of the operator,substantially as specified. l

6. In a curving machine, the combination with driving rolls, ot'laterally and vertically movable curving rolls provided with collars tobear upon the top and bottom of the article operated upon, and means fordriving said driving rolls, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands. j

FREDERIC C. WEIR. EDWARD W. HARDEN.

Witnesses: C. W. MILES, T. SIMMONS.

